Dead Space 3 Sounds Like A Co-op Shooter

EA hasn't even had a chance to announce Dead Space 3 yet but details keep leaking out. A new magazine preview reveal that the series' basic gameplay formula is undergoing a few changes.

As you might've guessed from the first screenshots, DS3 introduces co-op. Isaac Clarke will be assisted by Sergeant John Carver, the security man in the animated short from last week. The co-op mode will feature new cutscenes, but the story won't be incomplete if you play single-player.

The preview from GI (via NeoGAF) mentions that the competitive multiplayer from DS2 won't be making a return. DS2's multiplayer featured 4v4, objective-based battles between Necromorphs and humans. Considering these matches were pretty much devoid of horror, I can't say I'll miss it. Players will be able to combine weapons in some way to create even more fierce armaments.

The Dead Space series has always straddled the boundary between survival horror and action and DS3 sounds like it'll move the series more toward the latter genre. Ammunition will be more plentiful, and won't be weapon-specific. Furthermore, the game will introduce a cover system. This suggests that there will be more long-range combat than there was in previous games.

The new setting, an ice world called Tau Volantis, less confined than the other series locales. Players won't be following a strict path. Instead, they can explore large environments and find optional side missions.

In spite of these changes, Visceral says that DS3 will feature the "things that made the series what it is." Expect zero-gravity sections, poorly lit corridors, and a whole lot of creepy ass necromorphs. Visceral is promising a host of new necromorphs, including an enormous centipede called the Nexus.

Still, it's pretty clear that this game marks a brand new direction for the series. It seems like EA is trying to tap into the lucrative shooter market. Hopefully the survival horror fans who have stuck with the series since its debut won't be left behind.